Steam-feed valve.



P ATENTED JUNE 11 1907. A. D. GATLIN.

STEAM FEED VALVE. AgPLIOATION nun 0015,1906.

u F L 114E NDRRIS PETER: cm, wAsnnvcrou, n c.

WITNESS/5 UNITED STATES PATENT ora ion.

ABEL D. CATLIN, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNO'R TO OHATTANOOGA MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF TEN- NESSEE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed October 5,1906. Serial No- 33 ,601.

To (0Z7 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ABEL 1 CATLIN, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Feed Valves; and I do hereby de :lare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ol the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to steam feed valve mechanism for saw-mills.

The objects are: First, to obviate the necessity of filling a long length of pipe witn steam each time this motive fluid is supplied to one end or other of the cylinder 3 second, to provide a cushion at each end of the cylinder to prevent breaking out the end in event of snapping of the piston rod; and, third to present a form of valve mechanism suitable for these purposes which will not readily become disabled by the severe service which valve mechanisms for steam feeds are called upon to perform.

T o satisfy the first requirement enumerated above, instead of a single valve located intermediate the ends of the cylinder, a valve is disposed at each end, means being provided to render the movement of the two valves synchronous. For the purpose of producing the safety cushion, two ports penetrate the wall of the cylinder at each end, the outer being the inlet port and the inner the exhaust port; consequently, when the piston passes beyond the exhaust port in its travel in, either direction, the inlet port being closed, an effective steam cushion is formed. But the feature of my invention which is of prime importance is the constructing of the valve in such form as to lend itself with peculiar advantage to the results already noted, and at the same time to be largely immune to the destructive conditions characteristic of steam feeds.

It may be noted in this connection that it has been found that the valve constructions which have hitherto been employed for steam feeds in dispositions somewhat resembling the present have been uniformly short-lived. Check valves pound out in a short while, and piston valves soon work loose and permit leakage. To obviate these difficulties, 1 propose to use a disk valve, peculiarly arranged,

which I find seems to be the only construction which acts with satisfaction.

In the drawings: 1" igure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the cylinder and valve-chests, the cylinder being shown with intermediate regions broken away and other parts being in elevation; l ig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the cylinder, the valves and the upper sections of the valve-chests, and Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the cylinder and one of the valves and valvechests. rig. 4 is a collective detail view, in front and side elevation, respectively, of one of the valve-disks.

Referring now to these drawings, A indicates the cylinder which may be thirty or forty feet long, or even longer. Adjacent each end of the cylinder is an inlet port a, and. located some little distance in advance of each end is an exhaust port 1.. A piston B travels within the cylinder and, is secured to the piston rod C, which. as usual, is connected to the saw-mill carriage (not shown). The piston is of such length that, when at the extreme of travel in either direction, it covers the exhaust port, thus preventing lreeescape of the steam which has been propelling the piston.

Disposed. in conjunction with each pair of ports is a valve-chest D, constructed of an upper section 0 and a lower section (1. The

upper section has two steam passages c andf communicating respectively with ports a and t. These passages are continuations of passages g and 11 formed in the lower section d; and to these latter passages are titted, respectively, steam inlet pipe E and exhaust pipe F. These pipes are preferably common to both valve-chests.

Formed integral with the top of the lower section of each valve-chest, or otherwise se cured thereto, is a valve-seat G, provided with a port i in direct communication with passage 9 and a port is disposed in the same relation to passage h. The valve II oscillates in a circular chamber m formed between the two sections of the valve-chest, and is fur nished with two ports a and 0, so disposed that they cannot register simultaneously with the ports in the seat, but must register therewith alternately, as will be readily understood.

It will be observed that the disk valve fits snugly between the valve seat G, constituting the bottom of the chamber m, and the top n of the upper section of the chest, constituting the top of the chamber. Between the adjacent faces of the two sections of the chest are disposed layers 1" of paper, or other packing. Consequently, if the valve should at any time work loose, the defect may be immediately remedied by removing a layer or two of paper. Another advantage of this construction of valve and chest is that, should the parts after long use become badly worn, it is a simple matter to take apart the sections of the chest and reface their meeting surfaces, as wellas the two sides of the valve.

Secured axially to each valve is a stem H which rotates at t and a in the upper and lower sections of the valve-chest. These stems are provided at'their lower ends with crank arms K which are connected by a rod L," and rod L is operated by-hand-lever M and link N.

The operation will be apparent.

ply pipe E will be constantly filled with steam. Then the hand-lever is thrown in one direction, the inlet port at one end of the cylinder is opened and the exhaust port closed, while at the other end conditions are reversed. The piston will now travel until the lever is reversed, or until it passes over the exhaust port at the far end of the cylinder, when it will come to a cushioned stop. Reversal of the lever causes the piston to travel in the opposite direction. At each opening of an inlet port, only the small section of pipe represented by one of the passages e must be filled with steam, thus avoiding the excessive condensation which occurs when a long length of pipe must be filled. The construction of the valve, avoiding all reciprocatory motion, insures that the valve mechanism will not become readily deranged, and is peculiarly adapted for location immediately adjacent either end of the cylinder, instead of intermediately as is common.

I may state that I am aware that reciprocating valves, both piston and check, have i been disposed at the ends of the cylinders of steam feeds, but valves so constructed placed in this manner have always proved failures.

By the above description, it will be noted that, in my peculiar construction, co1nbination, and arrangement of parts, positive pre vention of damage in case of the carriage getting away, or in case of breaking of any part of the steam-feed, is insured.

The supl/Vhat is claimed as new is I 1. In a steam feed valve mechanism, the combination of a cylinder having an inlet port adjacent each end and an exhaust port considerably in advance of each end, means for supplying live steam to and receiving spent steam from said ports, respectively, an oscillating disk valve for each pair of cylinl der ports having two ports adapted to communicate alternately with said cylinder ports, and connection between the valves for synchronizing the movement thereof.

2. In a steam feed valve mechanism, the combination of a cylinder having an inlet port adjacent each end and an exhaust port considerably in advance of such end, a valve chest ateach end of the cylinder constituted of two separable sections forming between them a circular valve chamber, one section having two passages communicating with the cylinder ports and the other section hav- 1 ing continuation passages, steam supply and exhaust pipes connected to said continuation passages, an oscillating disk valve disposed in each valve chamber and provided with a' pair of ports disposed to open the passages alternately, and connection between the I valves for synchronizing the movement I thereof. 3. In a steam feed valve mechanism, the l combination of a cylinder having an inlet l port adjacent each end and an exhaust port considerably in advance of such end, a valve chest at each end of the cylinder constituted of two separable sections forming between i them a circular valve chamber, one section I having two passages passing through the top of the valve chamber and communicating with the cylinder ports and the other see- I tion having continuation passages passing through the bottom of the chamber, steam supply and exhaust means connected with K said continuation passages, layers of packing interposed between the abutting faces of the j two valve chest sections, an oscillating disk I l l valve disposed in each valve chamber and provided with a pair of ports disposed to open the two sets of passages alternately, and connection between the valves for synchronizing the movement thereof.

I In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ABEL D. OATLIN.

CnAs. E. RIoRnoN,

l j lVitnesses l E. T. BRANDENBURG. 

